Mike Shah: Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation Ambassador

AMBASSADOR AWARDS GALA SET FOR NOV. 8

ABOVE VIDEO:A staunch supporter of the Doctors Goodwill Foundation, Mike Shah has also given generously to many other local organizations, including Junior Achievement, Crosswinds, the Sharing Center of Central Brevard, the Scott Center for Autism Treatment, Project Hunger and the Health First Foundation.

Efforts Impact Across Many Disciplines and Subjects, From Sports To Religion, From Children’s Charities To Healthcare

Mahesh “Mike” Shah’s business acumen has brought him great success as founder of Southeast Petro Distributors, a major distributor to the gas stations in the Southeastern United States.

It was a tough go at the beginning for the entrepreneur who, with his wife, Rashmi, started with a gas station/convenience store in Cocoa in 1980. The native of India left his rural village in 1971 to work in Zambia before moving to the United States in 1976.

Hard work, dedication and honesty are part of Shah’s soul, helping him build the business from the ground up and allowing his company to grow and acquire retail sites. When success arrived for Shah, he made a point never to forget the responsibility that accompanies good fortune: to share his time, talent and treasure with those who needed it.

Amid the splendor of Mike and Rashmi Shah’s home on Merritt Island, more than 350 people helped make The Scott Center for Autism Treatment’s fundraiser, An Evening of Hope VI: Night of Wishes, the best yet. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com)

He never says no when help is required, be it in the form of funding organizations such as Parrish Medical Center and the United Way of Brevard or in sharing his business expertise with groups such as the Brevard Neighborhood Development Coalition, a South Brevard nonprofit in the process of building a model neighborhood grocery store and health care center.

A staunch supporter of the Doctors Goodwill Foundation, Shah has also given generously to many other local organizations, including Junior Achievement, Crosswinds, the Sharing Center of Central Brevard, the Scott Center for Autism Treatment, Project Hunger and the Health First Foundation.

Named 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Indian American Chamber of Commerce, Shah also received the 2012 Humanitarian of the Year Award from Space Coast Medicine & Active Living magazine and the Patron Award from Honor America, also the same year. The Founders Forum recently announced that Shah is this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Named 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Indian American Chamber of Commerce, Shah also received the 2012 Humanitarian of the Year Award from Space Coast Medicine magazine and the Patron Award from Honor America, also the same year.

His efforts impact positively across many disciplines and subjects, from sports to religion, from children’s charities to healthcare.

When Florida Tech founded its first Panthers football team, Shah was there supporting the team even before the first football was thrown. Shah is also on the founding board of the $9 million Manav Mandir Hindu temple in Melbourne, a magnificent facility Shah calls a “temple for humanity.”

“There is no greater satisfaction than knowing you are making a difference,” he said.

“As business owners, many of us wonder whether we are making a difference in our community, which has given us everything. I decided to do something about it.”

SPACE COAST MEDICINE WEEK SET FOR NOV. 1– 8

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation has raised more than $1.7 million in support of charity thanks to the assistance of Mike Shah and many generous and giving special people.

Those people, and their spirit of philanthropy, will be recognized and honored on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation Ambassador Awards, which will be part of the nine-event “Space Coast Medicine Week,” produced annually by Brevard Productions, the event and production sister company of Space Coast Medicine & Active Living magazine and Space Coast Daily.

The Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation Ambassador Awards will be held at the Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place beginning at 6 p.m. with a meet and greet, followed by the dinner and awards program at 7 p.m.

Parrish Medical Center with CEO George Mikitarian, will also be recognized and honored with a Doctors Goodwill Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for their many years of support of the Doctors Goodwill Foundation charitable endeavors.

“The entire Doctors Goodwill Foundation board and community feels heartfelt gratitude to the people who contribute their time, resources and compassion to the charitable endeavors that we undertake,” said Dr. Kanti Bhalani, the Founder of the Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation.

“The Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation can only do what it does, thanks to the love and support that it’s friends provide. We feel it is important to recognize people who give of themselves and that is why we created the Doctors Goodwill Foundation Ambassador Awards.”

COMPELLING MULTIMEDIA TRIBUTE VIDEOS & STORIES

Stay tuned to SpaceCoastDaily.com and Space Coast Medicine & Active Living magazine for extensive multimedia coverage of each and every honoree, as we present their compelling charitable works through stories and special tribute films by Maverick Multimedia, Inc.